Switch and lock movement and detector-bar.



No. 807,337. 7 PAT-ENTED DEC. 12, 1905. L. H. THULLBN.

SWITCH AND LOCK MOVEMENT AND DETECTOR BAR. APPLiOATION FILED AUG. 28, 1905,

a sums-sum 1.

PATENTBD DEC. 12, 1905. L. H. THULLEN. SWITCH AND LOCK MOVEMENT AND DETECTOR BAR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 28, 1905.

s SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 807,337. PAIENTBD DEG.12,190'5.

L. H. THULLBN. swrron AND LOCK MOVEMENT, AND DETECTOR BAR.

APPLICATION FILED we. 2a, 1905.

a snn'rs-snmir s.

Wessex jnv UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SWITCH AND LOCK MOVEMENT AND DETECTOR-BAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1905.

Application filed August 28, 1905. Serial No. 276,077.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LoUIs H. THULLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Edge wood, in the countyof Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fluid-Pressure Mechanism for Operating Switch and Lock Movements and Detector-Bars, of which improvement the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in means or mechanism for operating switch and lock movements and detector-bars connected therewith. In the use of devices of this character the ordinary pressure upon the piston which actuates the switch and detector-bars and which is required to unlock and throw the switch is sufficient to fracture or otherwise impair the detector-bar in the event of said bar coming in contact with an immovable obstruction, and thus render the bar inefficient as a means of safeguarding switches.

The danger of fracturing or otherwise impairing the efficiency of the detector-bar by forceful contact with an obstruction on the track or rail above it is unavoidable when the pressure upon the piston is unvarying.

The object of my invention is to produce mechanism or means which in normal condition admit pressure upon the piston at such times as it is desirable to move the detectorbar c'. 0., at the beginning and at the end of the stroke of the pistonsufiicient to move the bar without fracturing or straining the same in the event of its coming in contact with an immovable obstruction on the track above it and at the intermediate part of the stroke of the piston. 6., when the, detector-bar attains its highest position above the rail and is free to move to increase thenormal pressure to a pressure equal to that in the reservoir or pipe-line for the purpose of unlocking and throwing the switch. I accomplish this object by means of the mechanism hereinafter more particularly described, reference beinghad to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part hereof, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a railroad-track, showing the application of my invention, the cylinder of the switch-and-lock movement being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a central sectional view of the reducing-valve. Fig. 4 is a view of the pin-valve, partly in section, the magnet which actuates the same being shown in elevation.

Referring to said drawings, 1 is a reservoir of the usual construction adapted to contain air under pressure and is connected with the reducing-valve A and the pin-valve B, respectively. by means of the conduits 2 and 3, respectively, which are connected with the conduit or pipe 4, leading to said reservoir. The said reducingvalve A is connected to the switch-and-lock cylinder C by means of the conduit or pipe 5. The said reducing-valve is located in the air-circuit and comprises two sections 6 and 7 the adjacent ends of which are screwthreaded for the purpose of enabling the same to be connected, the end of section 7 being closed by a threaded cap 8. A diaphragm 9 subdivides the casing of said reducing-valve into the compartments or chamber 10 and 11, a plate 12 being placed upon the side of said diaphragm adjacent to compartment 10 for the purpose of supporting said diaphragm against the pressure normally maintained in said chamber 10. The said plate is provided with a socket or boss 13, which is internally thread ed for the purpose of receiving the correspondingly-threaded stem 14 of the cylindrical casing 15, which is located in chamber 11, the end of which casing opposite to said stem having seated therein the hollow plug 16, the open end of which is closed 'by the disk 17, which is provided with a number of perforations 18 18 and with a bearing for the nozzle 19 of the air-supply conduit 20, which forms a continuation of the supply-pipe 2. The said nozzle 19 is provided with an orifice centrally thereof of considerably less cross-sectional area than the air-supply conduit, and the end of said nozzle terminates almost in contact with the washer 17, seated in the bottom of the plug, whereby air-pressure conveyed through the air-supply conduit from the reservoir is throttled and greatly reduced in its escape into the space 21 around the nozzle in said plug and through the perforations 18 into the chamber 11 of the reducing-valve casing. Immediately, however, the air-pressure in chamber 10 exceeds that in chamber 11, as hereinafter described, the diaphragm 9 is forced inward toward chamber 11 and moves in a corresponding direction the casing 15, which is connected therewith, a suflicien't distance to enlarge the space below the end of the nozzle and the end of the plug adjacent thereto, so as to permit a freer discharge of air into chamber 11 for the purpose hereinafter specified. A spiral compression-spring'22 is located in the chamber 10, the ends of the same being mounted upon, respectively, the said socket or boss 13 and the flanged cap 23, the outer face of which is provided with a V-shaped recess 24 for the reception of the correspondingly-shaped end of the screw 25, which is secured in the end of section 6-, being provided with a hand-wheel 26 for the purpose of more or less compressing said spring, dependent upon the amount of pressure reduction required to operate the detector-bar, the pressure exerted by said spring on one side of said diaphragm being equal to the pressure normally maintained in the chamber 11 on the opposite side of said diaphragm for the purpose hereinafter specified. The said cylindrical casing 15 receives the inner end of the air-conduit 20, which is connected with the air-supply pipe 2. The said supply-pipe is provided with an abutment 27, which contacts with the inner endor surface of the cylindrical casing 15 adjacent to the diaphragm, for the purpose of limiting the movement of said casing, as hereinafter specified. The said pin-valveBis connected to and communicates with compartment 10 of the reducing-valve by means of the conduit 28. The said pin-valve is normally closedz'. a, in position to prevent the admission of reservoirpressure through the conduit 3until the magnet 29, which actuates said pin-valve, is energized, as hereinafter specified, on the occurrence of which the valve-stem 30 is permitted to drop, closing the port 31, which communicates with the exhaust-port 32 in the walls of the casing of said pin-valve, thereby preventing the escape of pressure from chamber 10 and admitting reservoir-pressure through the port 33 into said chamber 10'for the purpose of as-' sisting the com pression-spring 22 to move the diaphragm against the constant normal pressure in chamber 11, as hereinafter specified. When the said pin-valve is deenergized, as hereinafter specified, the spiral spring 34,

. mounted upon the lower end of the stem of the pin-valve, closes the supply-port 33 and opens the exhaust-port 32 for the purpose of enabling the escape of pressure from the chamber 10 to atmosphere until the pressures on diaphragm correspond or equalize and enables the said diaphragm and the cylinder-casing15, connected therewith, to resume their normal positions, in which position the cylindrical casing 15 is moved so close to the end of the nozzle that the air under pressure issuing therefrom is throttled or reduced. 34 is a piston adapted to operate in cylinder C in the usual manner, pressure being admitted thereto from the reducing-valve A, which is connected thereto by the conduit 5 through the ports 35 36, which are alternately exhaust and supply ports and are controlled by the pin-valves 37 38, which are actuated at such times as the magnets 39 40 are energized through a local circuit under the control of an operator in a tower. On or near the extreme outer end of a shaft 41 is secured a contact 42, which is open or out of contact with the local circuit 6 5 41, engages the projection 46 of the bell-crank 47 at such times as the said shaft is moved forward by the piston until the projection 48 engages the roller 49 on the cross-bar 50, in which said bell-crank is pivotally mounted, whereby the switch-bar 51 is moved, closing the switch and locking the same in such position by the lock-bar 52, one end of which engages in a bearing 53. The detector-bar 54, which is connected with the shaft 41 in the usual manner, is when free to move caused to rise to its highest position by the movement of the said piston, as heretofore described, the reverse movement of which opens the switch and locks the same in such position, the lock-bar never leaving its hearing, but merely reciprocating therein.

The operation of my device is as follows: The apparatus being in the position shown in the drawings, the switch is open and locked in such position, the detector-bar being in its lowest position; Air under pressure is free to pass from the reservoir to the reducingvalve, through which it passes at a greatlyreduced pressure from that maintained in said reservoir. The compression of the spring being regulated to the reduced pressure required to actuate the detector-bar permits the pressure of said spring and the pressure in chamber 11 to hold the diaphragm in the position shown in Fig. 3. The operator by admitting the reduced pressure to the cylinder causes the piston to move forward. The operation of the pin-valves 39 and 40, controlling the ports 35 36, causes the same to alternate as exhaust and supply ports, permits air to exhaust through port 35 and to be supplied through port 36, and when the piston is free to move 71. a, when the detector-bar is unobstructed the further movement of the piston carries the contact 42'into contact with the local circuit atX and energizes the magnet which controls the pin-valve B, admitting through said valve the maximum reservoir-pressure so long as said magnet is energizede'. 0., during the intermediate portion of the stroke of the piston, which, supplementing the pressure of the spring 22, causes the diaphragm to be moved inward and with it the casing 15, thereby increasing the space below the nozzle and admitting the full pressure of the reservoir to the cylinder C for the purpose of unlocking and throwing the switch. The further forward movement of the piston breaks the contact, deenergizes the pin-valve B, and permits the appliance to resume its normal position and in position when again operated to reverse the position of the switch.

I claim as myinvention and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a fluid-pressure mechanism for operating switch and lock movements and detectorbars connected therewith, the combination of a detector-bar adapted to be operated by fluidpressure less than that of the reservoir, a switch and lock mechanism operated by reservoir-pressure, and means controlled by the free movement of the detector-bar for increasing the pressure upon the piston from sufficient to' move the detector-barto pressure required to throw the switch.

2. A switch and lock mechanism and a detector-bar operated by the same piston, means to admit pressure upon said piston less than the reservoir-pressure during a part of the stroke of said piston for the purpose of operating the detector-bar, and means, controlled by the free movement of the detector-bar, for increasing the said pressure to that of the reservoir during the intermediate part of the stroke of said piston for the purpose of operating the switch mechanism.

3. In a fluid-pressure mechanism for operating switch and lock mechanism and detectorbars connected therewith, the combination of a cylinder, a piston operable therein, means to admit pressure to said cylinder, means to reduce the normal pressure acting upon said piston to a pressure only suflicient to move the detector bar when unobstructed, and

. means controlled by the uninterrupted movement of the detector-bar, for increasing the pressure upon the piston to the reservoirpressure, substantially as described.

4. In afluid-pressure mechanism for operating switch and lock mechanism and detector bars connected therewith, the combination of a switch and lock mechanism and a detectorbar operated by the same piston, means for reducing the pressure upon the piston at the beginning and at the end of its stroke and to increase the pressure upon said piston at the intermediate part of the stroke whereby the said piston is actuated by pressure at the beginning and at the end of the stroke only suf- 6. In a switch and lock mechanism for operating switch and lock movements and detector-bars connected therewith, the combination of a source of fluid-supply, a reducing-valve located in the supply-pipe, a .piston having a cylinder operable therein, means for electrically operating said reducing-valve whereby varying pressure is admitted upon the piston during the movement thereof, substantially as herein described.

7. In a switch and lock mechanism for operating switch and lock movements and detector-bars connected therewith, the combination of a source of fluid-supply, a reducing-valve located in the supply-pipe, a piston having a cylinder operable therein, means for electrically operating said reducing-valve whereby uninterrupted but varying pressure is admitted upon the piston during the whole of its movement.

8. In mechanism of the character described, the combination with a switch and lock movement, of a cylinder having a piston operable therein for operating the movement, a source of fluid-su pply, a controlling-valve governing the fluid-supply, a source of electric energy and a contact device adapted to operate the controlling-valve at different parts of the movement of said piston.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS H. THULLEN.

In presence of L. FREDERIG HOWARD, ARTHUR B. DU BRAY. 

